Sabres' Kyle Okposo returns to the ice for first time since being hospitalized
Buffalo's forward suits up in Da Beauty League as he prepares to return to Sabres in 2017-18
For the first time since he was sidelined -- and later hospitalized -- due to an illness that resulted from concussion medications, Buffalo Sabres forward Kyle Okposo has returned to the ice.
The 29-year-old All-Star was absent starting late in March, when then-Buffalo coach Dan Bylsma said he was "very concerned" for Okposo's health, but the veteran was back to skating and shooting in Minnesota's Da Beauty League on Wednesday.
A "glorified pickup game" for NHL and collegiate players, Da Beauty League saw Okposo suit up at Braemar Ice Arena near his hometown St. Paul, and according to NHL.com's Jessi Pierce, he was "speeding down the ice with ease" and "even put a shot on net his first shift."
The Sabres expect Okposo, who finished with one assist for Team RBC on Wednesday, to be ready for the 2017-18 campaign.
Since departing the New York Islanders for a seven-year, $42 million deal in Buffalo last year, Okposo has logged 45 points in 65 games. He had 19 goals before his hospitalization in intensive care.
















